


Different to The Others

by giraffewrites



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Accidental Confession, Angst, Cuddling, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Domestic Abuse, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-11
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-10-26 05:55:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17740244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/giraffewrites/pseuds/giraffewrites
Summary: Sure, Billy has said those three words to other people. Sure, he meant them. And sure, he's thought about telling Steve. But past experiences haven't been kind to him. Unfortunately, things have a way of slipping out when they're not meant to.





	Different to The Others

**Author's Note:**

> [SkiaWolf](<a%20href=) is going to be posting a comic based off a scene in this fic later, so please keep an eye out for that!

The sky that hangs above the highway is clear. An inky backdrop that allows the stars to glisten as people drive in the cold of February.

As Billy and Steve cruise down the highway, the stereo provides them with music. The radio broke a while back, but somehow the cassette player is still intact. Whilst Billy has a wide range of cassettes stored in his car, the cassette player is almost always playing the mixed tape Steve made for him. The music’s playing at a low volume, almost lulling Billy to sleep. It wouldn’t matter if it was blasting out of the speakers, though. Both he and Steve are exhausted. The sooner they get to the hotel, the better.

They’ve spent the last few days travelling, looking at potential colleges and apartments. Whilst most people live on campus in their first year, then venture out to flats in their other years, the idea isn’t appealing to Billy nor Steve. They’ve been living together for the last four months; the thought of living separately for a year only to then get an apartment together anyway doesn’t make sense.

College had never been something that Billy considered an option. Something he’d never even fantasied about. Neil would never pay for it, and Billy’s part time job at the record store wouldn’t cover even a quarter of the price for one semester. However, when Billy turned eighteen he came into money. It turned out that his mother, before passing away, had saved up vigorously along with Billy’s grandparents. The money that had been left to him is enough to get him though college, and have a small savings afterwards.

To say Neil was angry is an understatement. He’d tried to take the money from Billy, but – as everything did – it had turned into a heated argument, which of course turned into a fight. And by fight, what is really meant is Billy taking physical abuse from his father. It was the worst it’s ever been, Susan for once actually stepping in and trying to pull Neil off his son, screaming about how he was going to end up killing him.

She ended up with a bruised face, Billy ended up being kicked out.

Being kicked didn’t phase Billy very much. He’d already been planning on moving in with Steve for the summer, and it wasn’t as if he had a sense of family to grieve over the loss of. When Steve’s parents are back in town (as rare as it is), Billy spends the night at the Byer’s. He and Johnathan are far from close, but Billy gets on well with Will, and Joyce is the closest thing Billy’s had to a mother figure since the death of his own.

Realising how tired he’s getting, Billy makes the decision that pulling over for something to eat is a good idea. He pokes Steve’s arm, and when he gets no response, it flicks the tip of his nose. Steve startles awake. “Food,” Billy simply states, watching Steve rub his nose out of the corner of his eye. “Then we’ll go to the hotel.”

Sinking into his seat, Steve crosses his arms over his chest. “Okay,” he mumbles, head turning towards Billy, eyes starting to droop. “Sounds good.”

“You’ll have to stay awake for it, yanno?” Billy teases, resting a hand on Steve’s upper thigh. “Can’t sleep and eat at once.”

“I am awake,” Steve insists, his lethargic voice barely audible. He laces his fingers with Billy’s, and a few seconds later, he’s snoring.

Billy rolls his eyes, lifting their hands to press a kiss to Steve’s knuckles. “Whatever you say princess,” he says, mostly to himself, “whatever you say.”

___

Whilst fast food isn’t his first choice, Billy spots a McDonalds and decides it’s better than nothing. Or worse, falling asleep at the wheel. Steve’s still half asleep as they enter, his hand wrapped around Billy’s wrist. In Hawkins they’re never publicly affectionate, although neither of them are unaware about the rumours circulating about the two of them. But out here, in a practically deserted fast food restaurant, containing two workers and an elderly couple, Billy doesn’t see what harm can really be done.

“Billy,” Steve says, a small whine to his voice as they look at the menu. “Billy.”

“What?” Billy doesn’t turn his head away from the menu.

“Billy,” Steve whines once again, this time plopping his head against his boyfriend’s shoulder for emphasis.

“What?” Billy looks at Steve, “What do you want?”

Steve shrugs his shoulders and turns his attention to the board that the menu is mounted on. “Nothing.”

Billy shakes his head. Whenever Steve gets overtired, he gets… weird. And as much as Billy cares for him, it tends to aggravate him. “I’m going to have the McDLT, what do you want?”

Once again Steve shrugs his shoulders, “I don’t know.”

“You’ve been looking at the menu long enough,” Billy sighs. “C’mon.”

“Don’t rush me, then.”

They’re stood there another five minutes before Billy speaks again, his patience wearing thin. “Steve for the love of God,  choose something.”

“I’ve narrowed it down to two options,” Steve replies. “Lemme just…”

“No, pick something,” Billy runs a hand through his hair, “you know I love you but fucking hell you’re indecisive.” As soon as the words leave his lips, his heart temporarily stops. Steve’s looking at ihm with wide eyes.

“Did you just say-“

“To hurry the hell up? Yes, I did.” Billy slides his wrist out of Steve’s hold, stepping away from him. He takes his wallet out of his pocket. “Choose something.”

“Fries, I’ll uh, just fries,” the words stumble out of Steve’s mouth, his eyes fixated on his boyfriend. “Billy can we-“

“Order? Yeah, great idea.”

They order food and wait in silence, Billy giving closed and short answers every time Steve tries talking to him. Once their food is ready they take it out to eat in the car, and after five minutes of silence, Steve can’t take it much longer.

“You can’t deny it.”

“I don’t know what you’re on about,” Billy replies, stealing one of Steve’s fries and shovelling it into his mouth.

Steve runs a hand over his face. “Billy,” he says seriously, looking at him with his head resting against the headrest. “It’s not a bad thing.”

“Yes it is,” Billy insists. He finally looks at Steve, vulnerability shining through his eyes. “Every time I’ve told someone…  _ that _ , something bad has happened.” He focuses his attention on the steering wheel, but happily accepts Steve’s hand as it slides into his own. “It was the last thing I said to my mum before she died… the first guy I loved didn’t love me back and left, and then the guy after him said it back, only for my dad to find out about us and move me out of California altogether,” he explains, rubbing his teary eyes with the back of his hand.

Steve’s doesn’t think his heart has ever hurt so much. “Hey,” he says gently, hand softly guiding Billy’s face to look at him. “First of all, you never gave me a chance to say it back. Second of all, your dad isn’t going to drive us apart. Hell, he more or less flung you to me,” he laughs, chest lightening when Billy laughs with him. “I love you too, Billy. I have for a while, and as long as you pay for all my future McDonald’s, I’ll love you forever.”

The two of them laugh, before Billy leans over so their lips can join. The kiss is tender, and ends after only a few seconds. Steve rests his forehead against Billy’s, admiring him in the dim light the car has to offer. “Since you love me, can I sleep near the wall tonight?”

Billy rolls his eyes. “Sure, but don’t even think,” he playfully jabs Steve’s side, “about using this against me.”

Steve grins. “But you love me, so you’ll let me.”

Billy just shakes his head, but smiles nevertheless. “Yeah yeah, whatever.”

When they get back to the hotel, true to his word, Billy lets Steve have the side of the bed near the wall. Billy falls asleep within five minutes, but Steve stays awake. He runs his fingers through Billy’s hair, never growing sick of the pressure his head provides as it lays against his bare chest. Hearing Billy say he loved him wasn’t a shock. Not only because he feels the same, but because he knows Billy all too well, knows how long Billy’s been suppressing telling him. What did come as a shock to him was why Billy hadn’t told him sooner. He’s no psychiatrist, but he’s fairly sure that those events have psychologically affected Billy. He pulls him a little closer, lets his eyes fall shut and pulls the sheets up so they’re covering up to Billy’s shoulders.

There are many things Steve’s fallen out of love with. Baseball, the green machine he’d bugged his parents for months for only to grow bored of it within a couple of weeks, karate, and not even all that long ago, Nancy. But Billy? No, Steve doesn’t think he’ll ever fall out of love with him.


End file.
